Today’s recipe was inspired by my recent 10pm snack of banana slices drizzled with melted dark chocolate. I arranged the slices nicely on a fancy plate, made myself a cup of tea, and was planning to slowly enjoy my snack as I finished up some photo edits for the evening.

I inhaled it all in about 5 second flat. I don’t even think I came up for air. Anyone who has self control around the combination of chocolate and banana – I applaud you.

The next day, I used the rest of my ripe bananas to make these banana chocolate chip cupcakes to bring to my friend Kristen’s house. Ultra ripe bananas are key to the cupcake’s flavor. Brown, heavily spotted bananas will make the very best banana cupcakes.

The cupcakes are the moistest cupcakes I’ve ever made. They’re soft and light, unlike a dense, tight-crumbed slice of banana bread. Even on day 2 – these banana cupcakes are still incredibly moist and soft. If you make cupcakes for a living, then you know finding a cupcake recipe that remains this way past day 1 is a major feat! You have the bananas, brown sugar, and buttermilk to thank for their moist texture.

Remember: don’t leave out that buttermilk!

Even without the frosting, these cupcakes are full of flavor. Complementary to their sweet banana flavor are the flavors of cinnamon and brown sugar. I can’t eat a banana baked good without brown sugar and cinnamon being present.

Or maybe you noticed these cupcakes topped with Nutella frosting in my cookbook on page 136? I even used this banana chocolate chip cupcake batter to make a Banana Chocolate Chip Layer Cake on page 69. Topped with milk chocolate frosting, of course.

Photos of all three:

After today’s banana chocolate chip cupcakes cooled, I got out all of the ingredients to make some milk chocolate frosting. Before I started mixing, Kevin stopped me and suggested peanut butter frosting instead. I knew I loved this man for a reason.

So you can thank Kevin for this recipe. Though when it was time to clean up after frosting all the cupcakes, Kevin disappeared and I was left with all the dishes.

Funny how that worked, huh?

I whipped up my favorite peanut butter frosting along with my favorite milk chocolate frosting. Swirled them together and the rest is delicious history. Surely you’re a wild fan of the combination of peanut butter, chocolate, and banana – right?

Let’s discuss the frostings. The peanut butter and milk chocolate frostings that – when combined – taste like a peanut butter cup! Oh my lanta, get ready for something amazing.

Learning to swirl two types of frosting together takes practice. It’s ok, I wasn’t a pro when I first tried my hand at it last year. Like any sport, instrument, or hobby – the more you do it, the more you’ll get comfortable with it.

I have a very detailed page about How to Make Swirled Frosting. Use this tutorial as your guide. You’ll need a piping bag and Wilton 1M swirl tip. I bought my piping bag from Michael’s, a craft store. They sell them everywhere, even online. I use a reusable piping bag, but you can also find disposable bags. The piping tip I use for swirled frosting is the Wilton 1M swirl (I also purchased this at Michaels). I love this piping tip because it makes frosting look like soft-serve ice cream.

All you do to swirl the frostings on top is spoon some peanut butter frosting into one side of your piping bag and milk chocolate frosting into the other side. Then, pipe onto cupcakes in a swirl pattern:

I also include how I use the Wilton 1M swirl piping tip. If you’re ever curious about how I frost my cupcakes, that’s a handy page to read!

If you do not have a piping tip and bag, or are not yet comfortable using them – then just frost the banana chocolate chip cupcakes however you’d like. Frost them all with the milk chocolate frosting or with the peanut butter frosting using a knife.

Please note: if you decide to only use 1 frosting, you’ll have to double the recipe below to guarantee there is enough for all 18 cupcakes.

Today’s recipe is a breeze to make if you just take your time with it.

Give yourself a solid 15 minutes to mix up the cupcake batter and as the cupcakes are cooling, spend some time making the frostings. Both frosting recipes are simple: add more or less cream to adjust your frostings’ thickness. Find them too sweet? Add a pinch of salt to tone down the sweetness. I must say – I’m a huge fan of the slightly salty/sweet peanut butter frosting. I often use this peanut butter frosting to frost my brownie cupcakes.

Peanut butter, chocolate, and banana are the ultimate trio of flavors when it comes to dessert. These cupcakes have got to be one of the best cupcake recipes I’ve ever made.

Follow me on Instagram and tag #sallysbakingaddiction so I can see all the SBA recipes you make. ♥

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two 12-count muffin pans with 18 cupcake liners. Set aside.

Make the cupcakes: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in a large bowl on medium speed until creamed. About 2-3 minutes. With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla, beating on low speed for about 1 minute.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 additions, stirring by hand after each addition. Add the milk and stir until combined. The batter will be lumpy. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter evenly into 18 cupcake liners. Fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping. Bake each batch for 17-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Make the chocolate frosting: sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder to assure there are no lumps. Set aside. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy - about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sifted sugar/cocoa powder alternately with the heavy cream and vanilla. Beat on low speed after each addition. Once all added, beat on high speed until creamy and combined for at least 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.

Make the peanut butter frosting:With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the peanut butter and butter on medium speed until creamy and completely smooth - about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Mix on medium until combined. Add the cream and mix on high until creamy, at least 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.

Frost cooled cupcakes with a knife or with a piping bag/tip. If you'd like to just make 1 kind of frosting and not both, make sure you double the frosting recipe of your choice to make sure there is enough for all cupcakes. To swirl the two frostings like I did, here is how I made the swirl frosting. There may be leftover frosting depending how much you use on each cupcake. Decorate with banana slices and/or more chocolate chips if desired. Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days and in the refrigerator up to 5.

Make ahead tip: Prepare cupcakes and frosting 1 day in advance. Keep cupcakes covered tightly at room temperature and the frosting covered tightly in the refrigerator. Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before frosting and serving.

Recipe Notes:

For the cupcakes, use buttermilk. You can sour your own milk at home to make DIY buttermilk. For this particular recipe, simply measure 1/2 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice in a measuring cup/glass. Then fill the rest up with milk until you reach 1/2 cup. Stir it around, let sit for 5 minutes, and it will be ready to use in your cupcakes. (Alternatively, you could also use 1/2 Tablespoon of white vinegar.)

For the frosting, heavy cream or half-and-half will give your frostings the creamiest texture. You may use milk instead, keeping in mind the frostings won't be as creamy.

This past Friday marked the biggest day in my career so far. I was asked to visit the NPR’s (National Public Radio) studio for an interview with Michel Martin, host of Tell Me More. I sat down with Michel in the recording studio and, while shaking the entire time, talked with her about my cookbook and my love for baking.

What a rush! If you know me at all in real life, you know that I’m not shy in the slightest. But put me in a position where I have to public speak, let alone on national radio – and I completely freeze up! The producer and Michel herself were both so easy to talk to though.

Fact: I almost said “crap” twice because I was so nervous and lost my train of thought. I could’ve said much worse, right?! Whoops!

They asked me to bring a batch of Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies to munch on. This recipe is both on my blog and in my cookbook! It’s the recipe that won the Nestle baking contest last year. Tune in tomorrow, Monday March 10th 2014 to listen to the interview. It is also available online if you miss the interview or download the podcast.

Thank you everyone for helping me get to this point. I say it a lot and I’ll continue to say it forever: I wouldn’t have a blog without my readers. Thank you for supporting my blog and my new cookbook!

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209 Comments

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I made these today to bring to a New Year’s party and they turned out great. Banana, chocolate and peanut butter are just the perfect combination! I topped them with banana chips as a garnish. Clever idea, thanks for the recipe.

My husband wants a banana nut cake for his bday tomorrow. I can’t seem to find a good recipe and I always trust you!! I have made so many of your recipes and you never disappoint!! Would this recipe be good for a cake as well? If so, should I make any changes for any reason?

These look BANANAS!! So excited to whip these up for our Disney’s The Jungle Book themed Relay for Life team this year. Each team makes cupcakes for judging and these cupcakes are dessert for our honored cancer survivors in the survivorship dinner. I need to make 24 cupcakes, should I just double your recipe? What do you suggest? Thank you for your time and help!

These were DELICIOUS, but were more like banana bread in texture than a cake. Is that typical of this batter, or did I do something wrong? They will definitely get eaten regardless… but I’m just curious about the texture!

I made these today. They turned out very well. The swirled frosting was easy and very good. My only quasi negative comment is that these are really muffins not cupcakes. The texture and crumb is that of banana bread, not a cake. They’re very tasty though.

Hi sally can i make this as a cake ?I am looking for a banana chocolate chip cake recipe 🙂 . Your baking has been an inspiration for me here in Kenya – your recipes have never Failed and are a HIT everytime ideliver, Thank you very much ,i hope to meet you one day during my travels to your country. I am your greatest FAN.

So you fill the unlined cups of the tin 1/3 full? What will warp if you dont do this step? Just curious because im kind of confused because this is the first time ive seen this in your instructions im pretty sure

So you fill the unlined cups of the tin 1/3 full? What will warp if you dont do this step? Just curious because im kind of confused because this is the first time ive seen this in your instructions im pretty sure

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About Sally

Welcome to my Kitchen!

I’m Sally, a cookbook author, photographer, and blogger. My goal is to give you the confidence and knowledge to cook and bake from scratch while providing quality recipes and plenty of pictures. Grab a cookie, take a seat, and have fun exploring! more about Sally